“At 2:35 am on Tuesday, Zimbabwean national Karimazondo Mike (35) reached the airport and was scheduled to go to Johannesburg via Abu Dhabi by flight number EY-211 of Etihad Airlines. The staff decided to double-check him and while searching his bag, 25.7 kgs of the Methaqulane drug was recovered,” said Hemendra Singh, CISF spokesperson.

Sources said two women friends of Mike — Ncube Ellah (45), a Zimbabwean national, and Khumalo Shila (41), a South African national — were already on the plane and were asked to de-board.

“During the screening of their luggage, 65 kg of the Pseudo-ephedrine drug was recovered. Officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) were immediately informed,” added Singh.

The arrested foreign nationals were handed over to the NCB along with the contraband.

The value of the recovered Methaqulane drug in the Indian market is pegged at Rs 20.56 lakh and Rs 1.23 crore in the international market. The cost of the recovered Pseudo-ephedrine is Rs 39 lakh in the Indian market, while it is Rs 2.34 crore in the international market.